Hedging - February 2022
We were so lucky one weekend last year, despite the storm we had a group of Scouts arrive and plant a new hedge in the sheeps field in just 2 1/2 hours. The hedging was supplied by the Woodland Trust and will increase wildlife whilst providing a screening and protection for the sheep. Absolutely amazing group of young people who gave up their own time to help out. We our eternally grateful to you all and you are welcome back anytime. A special thanks to Alf and Jo for organising the event.
Willow Planting - February 2023
We were very lucky to have a local group of scouts visit Maynard’s and help plant 150 willow plants along the top boundary of the Sanctuary.
The willow shrubs have been bred from native and European varieties to produce a hardy fast growing hedge. They will grow in most conditions and soil types.
They are ideal for screening sheds, buildings and parking areas, providing privacy, screening to catch airborne pollution, providing shade and shelter for chickens and other livestock and creating fast growing windbreaks.
The willow is great for wildlife areas as it is the natural food of a huge number of insects. It will naturally inhabit a wide range of environments.
Thank you Pembury Scouts.
Welcome the bees! - February 2023
Willow Planting
We have been doing our bit at Maynards for climate change, by planting lots more willow around the farm with our Mini Maynards and Duke of Edinburgh volunteers. So far we have purchased and planted a total of 480 plants in the last 3 months. This means we should see an increase in wildlife, be able to provide our resident animals with natural medicinal food source, as well as reducing some of the land more prone to flooding.
Willow for Environmental Protection
Willow is naturally tough, strong and versatile and can be used in a wide range of circumstances to protect the environment and communities from both short term extreme events and longer term environmental problems.
Flood Control
A major contributing factor to the frequency and severity of recent flooding is land management in the upper reaches of water catchment areas. Lack of shrub and tree cover and extensive drainage over large areas of land encourages rainwater to run off the land quickly thereby causing floods in rural villages and urban areas downstream. Often referred to as surface roughness tree and shrub cover slows down the flow of water over the surface whilst the roots provide channels for water to penetrate into the soil more effectively. Willow Short Rotation Coppice, SRC, planted on the bottom of slopes and at field edges is a quick and effective method of increasing surface roughness. Willow coppice with its multiple stems is also effective at trapping any soil and debris being carried in any run off and can also be used to dam the drainage channels that were used to increase the speed of drainage off these areas. At the same time the willow coppice will also provide a carbon neutral source of wood fuel and/or serve as a windbreak for people, livestock and crops.
Bio engineering simply means using biological components in an engineering solution to a particular environmental problem. There are a wide variety of examples in use today including the following:
Willow Spiling
This is the use of living willow hurdles as reinforcement for an existing or modified river bank and as the retaining wall on a terrace system designed to prevent soil slippage on steep or vulnerable banks. The hurdles are usually made on site by weaving flexible live willow rods around thicker live willow posts driven into the ground at intervals. Soil is back filled behind the live willow hurdle enabling the woven live willow rods to root into the soil further stabilising the bank
Brush Matting
Brush matting is used to protect river banks that are vulnerable to scouring when a river is in spate. Live willow rods are laid on the bank with their butts dug into a trench. The live willow rods are anchored to the bank with rods and pegs. This has the effect of creating a barrier of willow protecting the river bank. Protection of the bank is further enhanced when the willow rods take root binding the soil with their fibrous root system. New growth above ground will also protect the bank by absorbing the energy of fast moving water.
Willow Fascines
Bundles of live willow known as faggots or fascines are placed in trenches dug across a slope. These prevent any further erosion down the slope and as the willow grows it traps any eroding soil to further stabilise the slope. This is a popular method in mountainous areas of Europe subject to the erosion of steep slopes by water.
https://www.thewillowbank.com/environmental-protection-with-willow/
We need bees as they are vital to stable, healthy food supplies and key to the varied, colourful and nutritious diets we need (and have come to expect). Bees are perfectly adapted to pollinate, helping plants grow, breed and produce food. They do so by transferring pollen between flowering plants and therefore keeping the cycle of life turning.
The vast majority of plants we need for food rely on pollination, especially by bees: from almonds and vanilla to apples and squash. Bees also pollinate wildflowers in Europe, so our countryside would be far less interesting and beautiful without them.But bees are in trouble. There's growing public and political concern at bee decline across the world.
This decline is caused by a combination of stresses – from loss of habitat and food sources to exposure to pesticides and the effects of climate breakdown. More than ever before, we need to recognise the importance of bees to nature and to our lives. And we need to turn that into action to ensure they don't just survive but thrive.
As part of conservation here at Maynards Sanctuary we have installed a bee hive and a second hive will soon be set up as a twin hive.
Then the exciting part …the bees!